A MEMOIR OF SCENIC SIKKIM

by

radhikakiranraj@gmail.com

My association with this tiny Indian state is so special, as I had spent my childhood in Gangtok, the capital city of Sikkim.

This small,sparsely populated state,has so much natural beauty around every bend of the road that it is impossible to list them all.Sikkim has been gaining importance as a destination of interest on the tourist map.The year-round cool climate is the major attraction for holiday makers from across the arid and tropical plains of India.Gangtok,the capital,with its clean and prim roads,bazaars and viewing points is enticing.

Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the eastern Himalayas; spread below Mount Kanchendzonga(about 8,585m MSL),the third highest mountain peak in the world. This thumb shaped state has borders with Nepal in the west,the Tibet in the north and Bhutan in its south-east and west Bengal to its south.It is thesecond smallest state after Goa and one of the least populated states in the country. Sikkim has become one of India’s most visited states owing to its reputation for cleanliness, scenic beauty and political stability.The Teesta,and its  tributary,The Rangeet, are the major rivers and they join at Teesta bazaar on the border with West Bengal.

 Sikkim, 'the switzerland of the east' , during winter (November-February

Long  a sovereign political entity, Sikkim became a  protectorate of India in 1950 and an Indian state in 1975. Sikkim is of great political and strategic importance for India because of its location along several international boundaries.

The state’s name is derived from the Limbu or lepcha  words ‘su him’ meaning ‘new house’. The Lepcha tribe were early inhabitants of the region. The bhutia began entering the area from Tibet in the 14^th century .After India attained independence, political parties were began to be formed in Sikkim for the first time. In 1950 the Indo- Sikkimese treaty made Sikkim an Indian protectorate, with India assuming responsibility for the external affairs,defense and strategic communications of Sikkim.It became the 22^nd state of India on may 15, 1957.

Childhood memories

The state has a temperate climate all year round and the temperature hardly goes above 25⁰ C. During the winter season,hailstones and snow often accompany the rains. I remember,how me and my brother used to compete with each other in collecting the pearl coloured hailstones that used to get collected in the plant pots kept outside our home in Sikkim. It used to be a chilling experience to collect those snowballs, and see them melting down in our hands.

The view that remains etched in my memory is that of the mighty Kanchendzonga; and its snow covered peaks which could be seen from the corridors of the second floor of our two storeyed house in Sikkim.On clear sunny morning, the breathtaking sight of these majestic peaks, shining brightly in golden turquoise colour, is what caught my attention, when I first saw it as a child, back in the 1980’s.

Mount Kanchendzonga, at sunrise - a view from Sikkim

As a small kid, I was left with my grandparents in kerala for a few years ,as my parents needed time to get settled in Sikkim.At the age of 5, I left Kerala to rejoin my parents there and as my father was working in Sikkim state service,I could spend my entire school days in Sikkim,the abode of the Himalayas. The view that remains in my memory of my first trip to Gangtok,is the winding Teesta on the way. Gangtok is accessed by road from the nearest airport in Siliguri and also the nearest railway station at New jalpaigudi (NJP) in West Bengal. This 120 km long ghat road that takes one from the plains of West Bengal to Gangtok,which is at 5,000 ft above sea level-travels along with the Teesta-alternately to its left or rightfor the most part,as it criss-crosses the river a few times. One gets a clear view of the river after half an hour of travelling away from Siliguri.As you look down from the road,about 100 metres below is an expanse of water that is pristine turquoise in colour,flanked by white sands.

Whenever I used to travel between Sikkim and Kerala along with my parents,I used to get down from the vehicle and looked in awe at the beauty that was the river. I had neverseen water so clear and of such a hue. Since then, I have always looked forward to the first glimpse of the Teesta and the subsequent views of the river on every trip along that road.

The memories of my school days is related to St.Joseph’s convent,situated in Gangtok. This small hilly town is a well-known tourist destination now and is known for its cleanliness and hospitality of the people.I presume many travelers to Sikkim have had similar experiences and must have gained immense pleasure looking at this beauty in all its glory.

Sikkim's near about 200 monasteries or Gompas, the buddhist place of worship. The most famous is Rumtek monastery, which is 24  km away from Gangtok, a drive through beautiful countryside takes one to Rumtek Dharma Chakra centre built in 1960'S by his holiness the late 16th GYALWA KARMAPA when he took refuge in Sikkim after the Chinese attack. It houses some of the worlds most unique art objects, ancient manuscripts and icons.

Rumtek monastery

Botanists’ own paradise

How can one forget about the blooming rhododendrons while talking about Sikkim! This small state has 38 of the 90 rhododendron species in the country. The valley of flowers up north in ‘Yumthang’ is a place of exquisite beauty.In spring there is a riot of colours all round with the ground full of primula flowers and rhododendrons in all hues blossoming.’Gurudongmar”lake at an altitude of about 1,700 ft,is Sikkim’s answer to the Tso Moriri of Ladakh,and offers vistas that are equally magnificent.Sikkim is also the homeland for more than 400 species of orchids and other endemic species of flora and is rightly called a ‘Botanist paradise’.

The Sikkim Himalaya,comprising the present state of Sikkim and the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council of West Bengal,covers 12,700sq km of extremely mountainous terrain. Much of the credit for drawing the attention of the scientific community to the biological richness of this region goes to sir Joseph Dalton Hooker,an eminent Victorian botanist(1817-1911) and a friend of Charles Darwin. Darwin writes of Hooker as the one soul from whom he unfailingly received support, when he expostulated his ideas on Natural Selection.

On a long expedition to Sikkim,Hooker managed to collect 6000-7000 plant specimens which he then deposited at Kew Botanical gardens, London. His monograph ‘Rhododendrons of Sikkim Himalaya’ describes all the 36 species of Sikkim. His report brought this genus of trees with its showy flowers important as a horticulture species.

This tiny state possess about 8 protected areas. Among them the largest is the Khangchendzonga national park(1,784 sq km).It has 6 other wild life sanctuaries like-

Singba rhododendron WLS, Kyongnosla Alpine WLS (KAS), Fambonglho WLS, Maenam WLS, Barsey rhododendron WLS, Pangolakha WLS

Rhododendron niveum, the state tree of Sikkim

Dendrobium nobile (Noble Orchid), the state flower

Sikkim also has a bird sanctuary known as ‘Kitam bird sanctuary’. The state animal of Sikkim is the Red Panda, which is arboreal; Rhododendron niveum, is the state tree; and the noble orchid (Dendrobium nobile) is the state flower of Sikkim.

Red panda (Ailurus fulgens), the state animal of Sikkim

The magnificent Teesta river is being tamed for the construction of six power plants.In addition,there are proposals for several micro-hydel projects.Pawan kumar Chamling, the chief minister of the state,who was presented the ‘Down to Earth’ Greenest chief minister award in 1998 and has been reigning for the past two decades, belives that when the hydel projects are completed, Sikkim  with excess power to sell, will be economically prosperous.

Conservation of this geographically diverse and biologically rich state has become an ecological imperative.It should be ensured that the pharmaceutical factories on the banks of the Teesta do not release untreated effluents into it and the scars caused by road and dam construction should be covered by eco-restoration programmes. Unregulated development projects add to the potential of natural factors to devastate the mountains and valleys of Sikkim,which are rich in bio-diversity.Sikkim was affected seriously by the September 2011 earthquake, which measured 6.9 on the richter scale. It also has a perennial problem of landslides, particularly in places where roads are built after blasting mountain sides using powerful dynamites.

Imposing,high,steep mountains clothed in a mantle of greenery with patches of white clouds either drifting across or resting atop them,characterize large parts of Sikkim during the monsoon. Human settlements with cultivation dot the slopes and the base of the mountains in most places. Dense forests are largely confined to the mountain tops and deep valleys. In many places,rainwater gathered in these forests emerge as waterfalls, making Sikkim a land of waterfalls during the monsoon season.

While the disadvantages of the hydel projects in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem,especially in the light of the Kedarnath disaster, are being debated , my concern is whether I would be able to see the Teesta in its turquoise splendor during my next visit to Sikkim.